SKA vs NHL clubs

I wonder how good they'd be against NHL clubs? Especially on the big ice? They have a very impressive roster. I mean Mortensson, Tikhonov, Shipachyov are proven top6 KHL centers, and even Kucheryavenko would play on top lines in some teams. As to wingers, Kovy, Toresen, Chrevenka, Ketov, Panarin, Makarov, Burdasov, Ponikorovsky - all of them are top6 material as well, and some could play on top lines even in NHL. And on the big ice, guys like Chrvenka, Panarin, and Ketov are better than many NHL top6 players. Defense isn't that impressive, but Dallman is a very good defenseman, especially on the big ice.

I wonder how good they'd be against NHL clubs? Especially on the big ice? They have a very impressive roster. I mean Mortensson, Tikhonov, Shipachyov are proven top6 KHL centers, and even Kucheryavenko would play on top lines in some teams. As to wingers, Kovy, Toresen, Chrevenka, Ketov, Panarin, Makarov, Burdasov, Ponikorovsky - all of them are top6 material as well, and some could play on top lines even in NHL. And on the big ice, guys like Chrvenka, Panarin, and Ketov are better than many NHL top6 players. Defense isn't that impressive, but Dallman is a very good defenseman, especially on the big ice.

I think the major factor here would be the ice size and aslo how engaged you could get an NHL team in terms of effort. For sure SKA could beat an NHL club touring Russia in the preseason. However when you look at the SKA roster it is full of guys who played in NA and basically ended up in the KHL because they didn't make it or could no longer make it as NHLers. Dallman is a great example. He has been the best D-man in the KHL for many years, but likely couldn't even make an NHL roster now. Kovy obviously has been a super star in the NHL, but even he finished 82nd in league scoring last year which is ceratinly one of the reasons the Devils let him go. I think the KHL and Kovy moving over there are both great for hockey, but the odds are if SKA played a full season in the NHL they would finish in last place. The KHL average talent level is slowly rising, but still not even close to the NHL's.

I think the major factor here would be the ice size and aslo how engaged you could get an NHL team in terms of effort. For sure SKA could beat an NHL club touring Russia in the preseason. However when you look at the SKA roster it is full of guys who played in NA and basically ended up in the KHL because they didn't make it or could no longer make it as NHLers. Dallman is a great example. He has been the best D-man in the KHL for many years, but likely couldn't even make an NHL roster now. Kovy obviously has been a super star in the NHL, but even he finished 82nd in league scoring last year which is ceratinly one of the reasons the Devils let him go. I think the KHL and Kovy moving over there are both great for hockey, but the odds are if SKA played a full season in the NHL they would finish in last place. The KHL average talent level is slowly rising, but still not even close to the NHL's.

Last place? You gotta be kiddin' me.
SKA would smoke teams like Oilers whenever they want.

I think the major factor here would be the ice size and aslo how engaged you could get an NHL team in terms of effort. For sure SKA could beat an NHL club touring Russia in the preseason. However when you look at the SKA roster it is full of guys who played in NA and basically ended up in the KHL because they didn't make it or could no longer make it as NHLers. Dallman is a great example. He has been the best D-man in the KHL for many years, but likely couldn't even make an NHL roster now. Kovy obviously has been a super star in the NHL, but even he finished 82nd in league scoring last year which is ceratinly one of the reasons the Devils let him go. I think the KHL and Kovy moving over there are both great for hockey, but the odds are if SKA played a full season in the NHL they would finish in last place. The KHL average talent level is slowly rising, but still not even close to the NHL's.

Do you think Florida, Colorado, Calgary etc. will finish in the KHL in the first place? OMG You are strongly underrate KHL, man.

In a full 82 game schedule of the NHL, they would battle for a playoff position, they wouldn't be anywhere near the top, but they'd be able to compete but the grind of the NHL and war mentality in the playoffs would be too much eventually. I think most of you need to get out of the mentality where you all think one game decides so much. Oh they can compete versus this team. You have to place the team in a league circumstance to understand how they would fare, there's still no club in all of Europe and there will never be that can go to NHL and win the Stanley Cup in a full season. In a one game match, anyone, anywhere can win on any given day.

I don't think a Latvian league team would be able to win against say Columbus.... anyday, anywhere or even if Columbus were playing without skates

But it doesn't matter how SKA would fare in the NHL cause it's an artificial club operating in the dreamland of having top 20 corporation's in the world financial resources. Probably it would fare great since actually playing a season in NHL would allow them to sign anyone they want (if they had no cap limits imposed from NHL, being a KHL team). Much better question is how would Novokuznetsk or Vityaz and Riga fare against top European league teams and that's an open question...

I don't think a Latvian league team would be able to win against say Columbus.... anyday, anywhere or even if Columbus were playing without skates

But it doesn't matter how SKA would fare in the NHL cause it's an artificial club operating in the dreamland of having top 20 corporation's in the world financial resources. Probably it would fare great since actually playing a season in NHL would allow them to sign anyone they want (if they had no cap limits imposed from NHL, being a KHL team). Much better question is how would Novokuznetsk or Vityaz and Riga fare against top European league teams and that's an open question...

If Medvescak managed to play 2:2 (lost in SO) with their EBEL roster against Vitkovice (who were Czech's vice-champions at the time) then I am sure Vityaz, Riga and Novokuznetsk would have equal chance to win against any top teams from other top Euro leagues.

I don't think a Latvian league team would be able to win against say Columbus.... anyday, anywhere or even if Columbus were playing without skates

But it doesn't matter how SKA would fare in the NHL cause it's an artificial club operating in the dreamland of having top 20 corporation's in the world financial resources. Probably it would fare great since actually playing a season in NHL would allow them to sign anyone they want (if they had no cap limits imposed from NHL, being a KHL team). Much better question is how would Novokuznetsk or Vityaz and Riga fare against top European league teams and that's an open question...

I think the major factor here would be the ice size and aslo how engaged you could get an NHL team in terms of effort. For sure SKA could beat an NHL club touring Russia in the preseason. However when you look at the SKA roster it is full of guys who played in NA and basically ended up in the KHL because they didn't make it or could no longer make it as NHLers. Dallman is a great example. He has been the best D-man in the KHL for many years, but likely couldn't even make an NHL roster now. Kovy obviously has been a super star in the NHL, but even he finished 82nd in league scoring last year which is ceratinly one of the reasons the Devils let him go. I think the KHL and Kovy moving over there are both great for hockey, but the odds are if SKA played a full season in the NHL they would finish in last place. The KHL average talent level is slowly rising, but still not even close to the NHL's.

I bet Dallman can go to NHL any time he wish. The problem is he's paid in SKA at least two times more than he can get in NHL.

Nope, he's already had his chance in the Show and didn't cut it there.

Puckmovers nowdays are in a big need in NHL. Much more than 6 years ago. And Dallman has become pretty decent in his own side. He's a poor man Letang, who's getting 7M+. I bet some teams would pay him 3-3.5M/year, but he's making twice as much in SKA.

Seems Russian fans have this love-hate relatonship with SKA. On the one hand they suck because they can sign whomever they want in Europe at least and steal (lure away) players from other teams. On the other hand it's the only team that could perhaps ''beat evil capitalists NHL" (though funny enough big sports leagues could be the most socialist of all organizations in the USA) on regular basis.

I personally like SKA cause they can sometimes give good thrashing to smaller teams and it's always interesting to see SKA - Avto game with a lot of goals instead of both teams play like one knows it will eventually win and the other knows it will eventually lose.... I also like them cause they often lose to Riga and on their home ice too.

I think the major factor here would be the ice size and aslo how engaged you could get an NHL team in terms of effort. For sure SKA could beat an NHL club touring Russia in the preseason. However when you look at the SKA roster it is full of guys who played in NA and basically ended up in the KHL because they didn't make it or could no longer make it as NHLers. Dallman is a great example. He has been the best D-man in the KHL for many years, but likely couldn't even make an NHL roster now. Kovy obviously has been a super star in the NHL, but even he finished 82nd in league scoring last year which is ceratinly one of the reasons the Devils let him go. I think the KHL and Kovy moving over there are both great for hockey, but the odds are if SKA played a full season in the NHL they would finish in last place. The KHL average talent level is slowly rising, but still not even close to the NHL's.

Being a point leader among the defensemen (with a team like Astana Barys) in two earlier seasons equals being the best defenseman for many years? Blueliners are hands down the worst part of the league, I'd agree with that, but when I see people who don't even follow the KHL comparing him to Bobby Orr I start cringing. That's just stupid.

Dallman is not a great example, he just seems to be a worn off cliche of this message board or probably American hockey media in general. Can we have some other examples? Skoula had a much longer career in the NHL and did worse than Dallman, Grebeshkov flopped disastrously... Oh wait, we actually can't! Because nobody follows the KHL in North America. People in a nearby thread complain that it doesn't even have English commenatry tracks, so there's nothing to discuss with you.

I see people who don't even follow the KHL comparing him to Bobby Orr I start cringing. That's just stupid.

In fairness, I think the comparison is apt. Bobby Orr was a good player who played in a league full of low-talent players; he was a head of his time and it showed, and he was great because his competition was non existent. Dallman as well plays in a league where he's not faced with much competition and lights it up.